title: Influence of oral health and lifestyle on oral malodour.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the influence of oral health and lifestyle on the prevalence of oral malodour among university students.
  
  
  METHODS
  Self-administered questionnaires. Chi-square test was used to detect any significant association between malodour and various variables.
  
  
  RESULTS
  9% of males and 6% of females complained of malodour, while 36% of males and 31% of females did not complain of malodour. Nevertheless, 12% of the males and 6% of females were unable to decide. The highest percentage of respondents not complaining of malodour were non-smokers (55%). A significant number of respondents were free from caries (48%), gingival disease (55%) and also were not complaining of malodour. Statistically, a significant association was found between malodour and gingival disease (p < 0.05) and between malodour and the use of a toothbrush on a daily basis (p < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results highlight the influence of oral self-care and lifestyle on malodour. Public awareness, diagnosis and treatment of malodour are primarily the responsibility of dentists. Malodour can have a distressing effect and the affected person may avoid socialising.
authors.affiliation: Consultant Restorative Dentistry, College of Dentistry, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, UAE. aziza@sharjah.ac.ae
authors.forename: Aziza H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Eldarrat
mesh_terms: D003731:Dental Caries / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005882:Gingival Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology; D006209:Halitosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D009909:Oral Health; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult